Keyboard Thoughts 1: Characters Beyond Worlds (Community Question)

Every now and then, I like to experiment with new types of content to see what takes off. I’ve been wanting to create some sort of recurring community-oriented series that other bloggers can participate and engage in. I created the Community Collaboration Challenge events for this purpose. Unfortunately, they’re a bit uninspiring and seem more like homework than a collaboration activity, and nobody likes homework (not even teachers!).

This month, I’m launching a new type of collaboration series. Let’s see how it goes!

What are Keyboard Thoughts?

One of the more difficult and frustrating aspects of writing is often coming up with what to write about. It is, arguably, half of the work! Whether you’re a new writer who wants to practice or an experienced one looking to put out regular content for your readers, not knowing what you want to write about can be a huge barrier. Finding writing prompts can be a great way to give your brain the spark it needs, which is what Keyboard Thoughts is all about.

Every month, I’ll be asking a question that’s open for others to answer (you don’t have to be a blogger, and you don’t have to be a regular Pop Culture Literary visitor to participate). The questions are designed to spark discussion and encourage writing of all kinds. You can respond by writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s entirely up to you. I’m excited to see the different kinds of responses that come out of this!

February’s Questions:

Characters are often written so that they are compatible with the world that they exist in. Their abilities, beliefs, and personalities often mesh well with their world in order to create something imaginary that seems believable. This isn’t always the case, but it is true fairly often. Characters in Digimon seem to have a high probability that their personality will allow them to suspend disbelief in order to cope with new and unbelievable situations. In Kingdom Hearts, Sora’s ability to wield the Keyblade and do magic helps him to navigate the dangers that await him along every leg of his journey. But to what extent are characters specifically built to exist in those worlds?

Imagine what would happen if one of your all-time favorite characters from any game, movie, comic, show, or book existed in the world of one of the most recent pop culture works you’ve experienced (games, comics, shows, books, etc.). Would a character be just as believable and successful if placed into the world of that other work? What characteristics (physical appearance, personality, abilities/skills, and beliefs) would mesh well with that world? What characteristics would conflict with that world?

How do I Participate?

Participation is easy! Pick a question and write what you want about it. Feel free to write directly in the comments, or create a blog post on your own blog. If you write a blog post, make sure that you come back here and share the link in the comments!

Your response can be any length you’re comfortable with. You have all month to respond, and the next Keyboard Thoughts will appear at the beginning of the following month.

Don’t forget to check back and see what other people have to say in response to these questions, and feel free to converse in the comments! But make sure that you keep your conversations civil. I know that the sense of anonymity your keyboard gives you can make it tempting to be a bit nasty sometimes, but nastiness isn’t welcome here any more than in the real world.

Most important of all, have fun with it!

Do you have a question that you’d like to see make an appearance on Keyboard Thoughts? I invite you to share it in the comments (you can also share it with me using the “contact” page or message me on Twitter)! And as always, if you have a literary device you want to know more about, or a game, comic, show, or movie that you want to see make an appearance on the blog, leave a shout-out in the comments!